Replication of bacteriophage M13: specificity of the Escherichia coli dnaB function for replication of double-stranded M13 DNA.

Infection of the temperature-sensitive E. coli mutant HfrH 165/70 (dnaB) with the filamentous single-stranded DNA phage M13 is abortive at the restrictive temperature. Upon infection at 41 degrees , single-stranded phage DNA penetrates the cell and is converted in a rifampicin-sensitive step to the double-stranded replicative form (RF). The parental RF attaches to the cell membrane, but subsequent replication of the RF is blocked. It is concluded that in M13 infection semiconservative RF replication of a double strand to a double strand, in contrast to single-stranded DNA synthesis, depends specifically on the dnaB function.